How to get rid of snaping turtles in farm pond

[Spanky100]

How can one reduce or eliminate snapping turtle from a farm pond. The snaping turtles seem to be in large numbers with no natural predators to reduce them. I am thinking the snaping turtles are even killing the baby ducks that are using the pond. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Wayne

 

[Junkman]

Snapping turtles will definitely take down the baby ducks. The only way to get rid of them is to kill them off. They will also kill off the small fish in the pond. I know of no predator of snapping turtles. Put a few logs in the pond and on sunny days they will all congregate on top of the logs. You will only be able to kill them one at a time on each log, but with time you will get the population down to a manageable number.

 

[Alan L.]

Should one assume any turtle in the pond is of the snapping variety? I can't tell the difference until they latch on.

I have been inclined to leave nature be in my pond, but with grandkids I may start shooting turtles and snakes regardless of their innocence.

As for turtles, if you hang around long enough they will stick their head out of the water and you can pick them off with a .22. Don't miss though, because the bullet could ricochet off the surface of the water.

 

[Junkman]

The snappers are the ones with the pointed nose and are usually all black. The turtles with the yellow or red stripes along the sides of the head are called sliders. They will also go after the ducks, as will all turtles, but they are no threat to humans. The will swim right by you and never give a thought of harming you. I used to catch them all summer long when I was a kid, back in the dark ages. The snappers have a longer neck and will bit and do damage. These are the ones to eliminate. They can grow to over 50 pounds and are mean enough to take on anything, including water snakes. The turtles keep the snakes in check, and the snakes keep the frogs in check, and the frogs & fish keep the mosquitoes in check. Just don't harm the land turtles that you come across..... they are beneficial to the environment and are no threat to humans. The last category of turtles is the mud turtle.. They are a form of snapper, however I don't have much experience with them. We used to call them stink turtles and never caught them. I now believe in my mind, that they are the snappers in miniature, but am not certain..

 

[Dargo]

Junk is right about the Red Ear Slider. They have a distinguishing red mark where their ears would be. A female RES will generally grow to around 10 to 15" in length. The males are smaller. A RES will bite at times, so don't just assume that they will not. It is rare to get a box turtle to bite you without considerable provacation, but the RES will give you a nibble without much warning. However, just like the snapping turtles generally found in most ponds, they are not likely to be able to do much to grown man with relatively tough skin. Contrary to popular belief, even a snapping turtle that is a foot across will not take off your finger.

Have you ever seen anyone "noodling"? That is where guys walk around in water and try to get large catfish to bite onto their arm as a way to catch them. I've done that with snapping turtles many many times. Sometimes they are a bit contrary about letting go. A match or lighter to the tail almost always gets them to turn loose though. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

One of the most distinguishing features of most every known snapping turtle in north America is the jagged rear of their shell. If the rear of the shell is serrated looking, the turtle will make it a point to bite you if disturbed. If your hands are not fairly tough, just wear a pair of gloves and get the turtle to bite your hand. It will hang on long enough for you to pull him out of the water. Also, unless you are holding a snapper by it's tail, it can bite you. As I said, the bite is not as bad as legend has it, but I wouldn't try to kiss one. A friend did with a decent sized snapper and he basically became a hare lip. Even though even a fairly large snapper cannot bite hard enough to really hurt my hands, I wouldn't want to offer up any soft tissue to be bitten. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

If they are an issue, yes, you can blast them off of logs while they are sunning. But, unless they are making a noticable impact on your pond, I would generally let them be, or relocate them. Unless you literally blow their head off, they will live, and suffer, for several hours if not for several days. They are a hardy lot, and have not changed much at all from the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth. If reasonably possible, I let them live.

If you don't believe me about their bite, try to get them to bite you on the hand when you have a pair of leather welding gloves (or something similar) on first. After a while, you will realize that they are not like sharks with a shell.

 

[GerardC]

Very interesting and informative Dargo. Thanks for the thorough explanation.

 

[billbill1]

A cousin of mine had turtle problems and someone built him a trap out of 55 gallon drums. They took rebar and built a funnel that the turtles could fall through but couldn't get back out of. He baited it with chicken necks and backs and placed it about 6" above the water line. He must have tied it to a steel post or something to keep it from floating, I don't remember. He caught a ton of the turtles but I would think the smell from the dead turtles would be bad.

 

[duber34]

Snapping Turtles make some really goooood eatin'! Don't let them go to waste. The key is to cook em low and slow like a fine Southern BBQ. Mmmmm. Wish I owned a pond.




Regards,
Duber

 

[SkyPup]

Snappers are real good eating, if you are going to kill one, do not willfully and wantonly waste it,instead be sure to give it to someone to eat, otherwise it is best to live trap them and relocate them to their natural habitat.

Do not kill them just for the sake of killing. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[kensfarm]

Gallon milk jugs w/ rope line, big hook & bait attached.. pull up the line when they move.. shoot them in the head. I've seen some of the one's my brother-in-laws have caught.. their head was as big as my boot! That in itself would keep from skinny dipping! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif